


Stubborn

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-04
Updated: 2006-05-05
Packaged: 2019-01-19 14:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12412518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: [Complete] Everyone is a little stubborn. Some people are overmuch, some are just right, and even those that say they aren't, are. Why? Well, I'll leave that up to James and Lily to explain.





	1. James

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

**_Extended Summary:_** Everyone is a little stubborn. Some are over-stubborn, some are just right, and even those that say they aren't are. But in just what and how they are stubborn... well, I'll leave that up to James and Lily to explain.

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all recognizable characters**

**Stubborn**

**James**

Everyone is a little stubborn.

I know I am.

Even those people they say they aren’t, really are. Believe me; my mother insists that she is everything but stubborn. Then me, Dad and Sirius laugh at her because she’s being stubborn about not being stubborn. See?

Anyway, there are a lot of reasons why I am stubborn.

I am stubborn (and you should be too) when it comes to:

**Pranking**

Well, you have to be. Otherwise we would have given up a long time ago if we weren’t. I mean, you would have given up after the first try if it didn’t work.

Also, it helps if you’re being interrogated by a teacher (cough McGonagall cough). If you’re stubborn enough, they can’t force anything out of you. See? Even if we are given a lot of detentions… you’ll see how it works.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Homework**

By that, I mean not doing it.

Asked why?

Stick to your story.

“Honestly, Professor! It wasn’t my fault! It was in my bag and a Hippogriff ate it during Care of Magical Creatures!”

And no matter how much they try to threaten you with detention, stay stubborn. Stick to your story.

“It wasn’t my fault! Honestly! It was Snape that fed my homework to the Hippogriff!”

It doesn’t always work, but you catch my drift.

Which moves us on to the next reason…

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Detention**

Sounds a bit weird, but by this, I mean refusing to go because it’s not your fault.

If you get extra detention for this, go to it but don’t do anything.

“Wasn’t my fault! Why should I have to clean the trophy room?”

Of course, then you’ll probably get another detention for it, but it’s worth being stubborn just to see Filch’s face turn purple.

Or, if you do go and do something, pretend that the teacher or member of staff supervising has mis-explained something, that way, you can have a nice little laugh at their faces bursting with impatience, and more often than not, anger.

“But I thought you _told_ me to clean the telescopes with rocks, sir!”

or

“Oh, so we _weren't_ supposed to feed the Salamanders sugar quills. I see.”

Stick to the story even if they insist they didn’t.

Trust me, it’s hilarious when they get all confused.

Stubbornness can lead to good laughs as well.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Pranking The Slytherins**

Do you even need to ask why?

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Snape**

Okay, before you get concerned here, by Snape, I mean pranking him. We are _very_ determined when it comes to pranking Snape.

Congratulations, Snivelly! You get your own section!

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**My Future**

Now, this may be a bit of a shock to you, but yes, I do become stubborn when it comes to my future.

Like when my mum wanted me to wait until I was a little older before I got a broom, I insisted that I wanted one NOW.

After a fight, I refused to budge and compromise, so my parents finally upped and got me one. A broom, I mean. So, instead of waiting until I was eight to start Quidditch, I was five.

And, currently, my dad wants me to follow in his footsteps and become one of those senior people - I always forget what he does -  in the Ministry. Those people really close to the Minster. I don’t actually know what it is he does… anyway, I said, very firmly, no, I wanted to become an Auror, save people, and catch those blood-obsessed dark wizards and witches.

We fought even longer over this one. Mum and Dad said no, they didn’t want their ‘precious baby James’ to be hurt. Better off with a nice, safe job. I would still get to help people, they said.

After telling them not to patronize me, I told them that I didn’t want to be one of those cowards (my dad went a bit red at this) sitting back while everyone else did the work. I wanted to be out there fighting.

I didn't mention the fact that I craved the action.

A few months later, they caved in after I refused, again and again, to give up a career as an Auror.

And guess what? Dad personally went down the Auror Office and recommended me to the Head Auror.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**My Parents**

All teenagers say that they hate their parents, yada yada.

But when you’re a spoilt only child like me, you are very stubborn on getting what you want from them.

Plus, when they’re as old as my parents are, you are very stubborn when it comes to their health.

After all, who will pay for all of my stuff if they die?

…

…

…

…

Joking. I’m not that selfish.

In fact, I’m so insistent that they look after their health that we often joke that I’m the parent, and they’re the kids.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**My Friends**

Moony, Wormtail and Padfoot. Better known as Remus, Peter and Sirius.

You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em.

When we found out Moony was a werewolf, he said, quite sadly, that we shouldn’t be friends anymore because he was too dangerous.

I was _very_ stubborn then.

No matter how much he insisted that we should stay away from him, or that our Animagus idea wouldn’t work, we ignored him and stayed friends. We wouldn’t let him go through it alone every month, oh no.

In fact, we refused to stay away from him so firmly every time he even mentioned it that he just gave up talking about it.

And we insisted on becoming Animagi no matter how much he objected, or told us how dangerous it could be.

Also, when Wormtail gets picked on by people for being almost a Squib (ha! He’s an Animagi, which is more than I can say for those picker-oners) I always stand up for him.

I insist that the person that picked on him apologize. In fact, I am so stubborn about it that it often results in that person sprouting orangey-yellow feathers from their heads, and me getting sent to Dumbledore.

But me and ol’ Dumbly-dor get on well, he’s used to me by now.

As for Padfoot… well, he can take care of himself. Most of the time. When he ran away from home, I insisted that my parents take him in even though they would have done it anyway.

And also, don't tell anyone this, but it was me that was so stubborn about constantly telling him his parents were terrible people that contributed greatly to his decision in leaving home.

Hey, it's the truth, isn't it?

~~~**~~*~~**~~~ 

And of course, the most important one of all (sorry Padfoot. I love both of you, just in very different ways).

**Lily**

I am especially stubborn when it comes to Lily Evans.

Ah, Lily Evans. Where do I begin?

She’s so perfect, so beautiful. So untouchable.

She’s like a porcelain doll – people admire her, adore her, but nobody dares to touch her.

Because of that, nobody will get close to her.

Until I came along, that is.

Now, for the first six years of us knowing each other, she hated me because of a silly little prank I pulled on her on the train in first year. I won’t go into details. I’ll leave it to your own imagination.

Anyway, the more she hated me, the more I tried to get her to like me.

I became very, _very_ stubborn when it came to Lily.

Even at the protests of my friends, I continued to try and pursue Lily. I came about it the wrong way though – first year, like a typical eleven year old boy, I made sure of pulling her hair every time I saw her.

Second year, by laughing at her.

Third, I tried showing off in Quidditch. Not that great.

Fourth, I stalked her.

Fifth, I pranked her.

Sixth, I acted like the fool. A lovesick puppy, if you will.

See how stubborn I was?

Six years of nothing, except a lot of insults, and then along marches seventh year.

At the advice of Moony, I relaxed and started to act more like… well, the real me. The loyal friend, the pride and joy of the Potters, the sweet, caring young man. Not the practical joker that I’ve hidden myself under. I became a great student, teachers loved me, parents loved me, and students loved me. I became Head Boy.

Lily and I worked closely together as the first Heads to be in the same house for around… five hundred years? Anyway, it meant that we practically spent day and night together, and she slowly began to relax, and see me for who I really was. We became fast and close friends.

Close enough friends, in fact, that I became the first person to ever scratch the surface of the porcelain doll.

Bit by bit, day by day, meeting by meeting, we worked together, and we talked. With each conversation, I managed to peel away a little bit more of the tough exterior.

In fact, I was so stubborn in getting to know the real Lily Evans that too late, I realized that I had fallen in love with her.

After a bit more persistence, she fell for me too. I won't say how. I'll leave that for her to explain.

I became the first person to find the person Lily really is – I managed to touch her heart and soul.

It took seven long years of stubbornness to get Lily.

But it doesn’t seem that much anymore, not when I finally have the girl.

Maybe stubbornness isn’t such a bad thing after all.

 


	2. Lily

**Author's Note:** You’ve heard from James, so now it’s time to hear from Lily. Why are you so stubborn, Miss Evans?

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all recognizable characters**

**Stubborn**

**Lily**

I’ll admit it.

I am probably the most stubborn person you’ll meet. Ever. Ask anybody that knows me, and they’ll confirm it for you.

Apparently it’s very annoying and frustrating sometimes. Of course, by then, I insist: “It so is _not_!” and BAM! I’ve walked right into whoever set the trap (last count, my so-called best friends Janie and Natalia had done it three hundred and seventy-four times).

I’m stubborn about how stubborn I am.

Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

So, listing it out, I am stubborn when it comes to:

**My Social Life**

You have to feel for my fellow students sometimes.

I don’t like seeing people lonely, and so I am very insistent that they are included in all activities and things. When I see someone sitting alone at lunch, I drag my ever-growing group of friends over to join them, even if they don’t want to know.

I insist so much on including people that I don’t take no for an answer. Of course, they don’t always like it, but hey, I’ve made a new friend!

…To add to the friends that I already have. And, after including so many people over the years, is a lot.

But, there are few that really _know_ me. It’s hard to let people in. So basically, I have a lot of ‘friends’, but very, very few _friends_.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Lessons**

Ah, lessons. The always annoying part of me that always, always, _always_ has to do well in lessons.

I’m stubborn in this how?

I’m stubborn in the way that education is very important to me. It annoys me when people (by people, I mean the ‘Marauders’. Who came up with that name anyway?) mess around in class and affect everyone’s learning.

Also, I push myself a lot into working hard. If I wasn’t stubborn, do you really think I’d be top of all my classes?

All right, _most_ of my classes. Nobody’s perfect.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Being Perfect**

I am stubborn in the way that I insist I am _not_ perfect, contrary to popular belief. Like I said, nobody’s perfect, least of all me.

Would a perfect person be stubborn...?

No, didn’t think so either.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Enforcing The Rules**

Everyone tells me to lighten up all the time.

But somebody’s got to stay sensible, right? If everyone was like the ‘Marauders’, then who would be responsible?

So, of course, it’s up to me to be the responsible Head Girl, and make sure everything stays in order. I have to be stubborn about this, otherwise nobody would listen to me.

I hate being the bad guy.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Petty-Tuna**

By Petty-Tuna, I mean my sister Petunia. And by being stubborn, I mean when it comes to sticking up for my magic.

Hey, if I didn’t put up a fight every time she insulted me and my ‘freak’ friends, do you really think that I’d still be a witch?

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Professor Slughorn**

Nice teacher, even if he is one for favouritism. But you have to be stubborn when dealing with him, or you’ll never get in a word edgeways with him.

Of course, it’s also useful to be stubborn when he says that I would do well in Slytherin.

Who wants to be in Slytherin? They’d never take me anyway, seeing as I’m a ‘Mudblood’.

It helps to be a bit cheeky when he mentions that, too. But not too much.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**The Slytherins**

By that, I mean sticking up for myself (and some others) against them. 

It's also very pathetic that they get their own section.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**Defending The Weak And Needy**

When I say weak and needy, I don’t just mean smarter people. I include first-years, second-years (and basically all years below me), Muggle-borns, half bloods, people with disabilities, people that need educational (or any type) of help, my friends, and basically anyone that will be picked on.

I can’t help but stick up for others that are being belittled. One, because I think it’s pathetic; two, because it’s cowardly; three, because I can’t stand it; and four, I know what it feels like to be picked on.

Janie and Nat try to pull me away from these (very public) arguments sometimes. But once I get going, no one dares to stop me, because this is one of those times that the so-called redhead temper comes out. Sometimes I almost feel sorry for the person on the receiving end.

Almost.

Anyway, I’m very stubborn in defending them. I won’t rest until they apologize (of course, now I’m Head Girl, I just give them detention and take points instead), and I don’t mind if I make a big deal out of it. Most of these arguments and fights are held in the corridors, anyway, so a pretty big deal is made whether they like it or not.

Nobody can beat me in an argument... especially a me armed with a wand.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**My Parents**

Like any other teenager, no matter how much they say they despise their parents, they still worry about them, except maybe Sirius Black, whom I understand doesn’t even talk to his parents and/or family anymore.

Anyway, now that Petty-Tuna is married, and I’m away at Hogwarts most of the year, I worry about my parents. So, every day I send them with owls, urging them to take care of themselves, go to a doctor if anything’s wrong, and tell me if something happens.

I am very stubborn in the way that I care about them a lot, even though I know that they’re perfectly capable of looking after themselves (they raised me, didn’t they?).

It’s no joke, worrying about your parents. 

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**My Future**

Ah, my future. Everyone in my year is worrying about theirs too.

It’s like when I first got my Hogwarts letter again.

Petty-Tuna was, obviously, horrified and refused to speak to me for a fortnight. My parents were really proud, but they were also really worried. 'You don’t even know anyone going there!'-'You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!'-'You don’t know what lies ahead!'

But, in typical me-fashion, I refused to let any of those questions stop me from exploring the unknown. Even after Petunia finally did speak to me again, and threatened that she’d never talk to me again if I went and became a ‘freak’, I still insisted on going.

Nothing that anybody said and did could change my mind.

My parents finally got over their worrying stage and congratulated me instead.

In that case, being stubborn paid off.

And now… I don’t know what lies ahead in the big, bad world in front of me. Petunia only wrote to me the other day, and told me that her husband knew someone that knew someone that knew of a good job opening in a big company somewhere. She obviously thought that this was a phase I was going through. I wrote back telling her that what did she think seven years of magical education was for? I was getting a job in the wizarding world, thank you very much.

She responded with the same threat she gave me seven years ago.

“I’ll never speak to you again, Lily Evans, if you insist on getting mixed up with these freaks!”

Petunia, Petunia, Petunia. So stupid. She and I both know that she’ll never carry this threat out. That, and the fact that she knows how stubborn I am. I’ll never give in.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~

**My Friends**

Janie and Natalia.

Nat – the last member of the Calrine line. Lots of people (people being those blood-obsessed Slytherins that think she’s being stupid) criticize her decision of becoming an Auror. They think, like all other women in their lines, that she should marry into a pureblood family and have lots of kids and carry on the family line, if not the name.

But Natalia is an amazing, very powerful witch. It would be a waste of talent. However, being an only child and very respected, she isn’t used to all the insults that they throw at her. She’s very sensitive… so naturally, Lily Evans comes to the rescue!

I’m stubborn in how much I protect her from all of these insults. They throw one at her, I throw three back. They try to hex her, I hex them back. And I don’t miss. I never miss.

Nat doesn’t want me between herself and the idiots, but I’m too stubborn to let go.

Janie – has dyslexia. Things are harder for her than for everyone else. People, most noteably Slytherins, take this as an excuse to pick on her and manipulate her, just because she's slightly what they call 'dumber' than everyone else.

So naturally, I am protective over her than anyone else.

Besides, what do they know? They've never seen Janie throw a Furnunculus Curse.

My friends are very important to me, as you can see. I protect them, I look after them, and I’ll always be there for them.

Whether they like it or not.

~~~**~~*~~**~~~ 

And last, but certainly not least (sorry, girls): 

**James Potter**

Above everything else, I am stubborn when it comes to James Potter.

James Potter. How do I even begin to explain James Potter?

An arrogant, egotistical, conceited, show off, idiotic, annoying, frustrating, bigheaded, supercilious, narcissistic, infuriating, exasperating, maddening, pompous, handsome ass.

Yes, even I admit that James Potter is handsome. However stubborn I am, I can’t deny that. It’s like a fact of the universe, something that everyone knows.

Six years, he chased me.

Six years, I said no.

Six years, he persisted.

Six years, I stayed stubborn.

But he was equally stubborn in persisting as I was in resisting. He could probably rival me in the stubborn-stakes.

It seemed, the more I pulled away, the more he pushed forward.

But six years of pranks, conceitedness, showing off, stalking, immaturity and so on couldn’t change my mind, although I knew he was winning me over, slowly.

Then seventh year came.

Like most people had predicted, I became Head Girl.

But unlike what most people had predicted, James Potter became my partner - Head Boy.

Maybe it was the fact that we ended up having to spend so much time together, or maybe it was the fact that he had sort of grown up and out of his habits. But somehow… we slowly became friends. After a while, I didn’t see him as the arrogant, egotistical, conceited, show off, idiotic, annoying, frustrating, bigheaded, supercilious, narcissistic, infuriating, exasperating, maddening, pompous ass anymore. He was still annoyingly handsome though.

No, he became a real person. He opened up to me, and I opened up to him. We shared secrets and jokes, smiles and feelings. He became my walking diary. He matured a bit, I loosened up a bit. It was like we both became the bigger person – I took a step back, and so did he.

I was stubborn enough in getting to know him that slowly, gradually, I began to fall for him. And it seemed no matter how I tried to deny it, my feelings seemed to grow until I had gotten myself in too deep. _Way_ too deep.

We met up in the Entrance Hall after patrol one evening, talking and laughing whilst we walked up to Gryffindor Tower. Then he suddenly became serious and asked me why I hated him.

I told him that I never hated him. I just didn’t like the way he acted… like he didn’t have a heart. He didn’t seem to care about anything.

“What made you change your mind?” he wanted to know.

“I didn’t,” I answered, not looking at him. “You changed it for me. You grew up. You matured. You opened up. You… you became the person I always knew you could be.”

At this point, I was flushing redder than my hair, and he was grinning. By now we had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and he suddenly stopped. I stopped with him, the Fat Lady glaring down at us.

“Are you going to say the password or not?” she asked irritably, but we both ignored her.

He took my hand and with surprise, I looked up into his eyes.

Big mistake.

His eyes always made me melt inside. Those intense, deep, hazel eyes, sometimes green, sometimes brown, sometimes even gold, searing into my own, watching me. Making me sink further, and further, and further into them.

“How about it, Lil?” he said. “Give me a chance to prove to you that I’ve got one.”

“Got what?”

“A heart.”

He was smiling down at me with a… different type of smile to his usual lopsided one. And I realized that it was the smile reserved for me, and only me.

“You don’t have to,” I said, wrapping both arms around his neck. “You already have.”

We kissed just as the portrait flew open and we were in full view of the entire house. You could feel everyone’s shock just radiating off them, but we didn’t notice much. We too entirely wrapped up with each other.

Then someone – Nat, it sounded like – shouted: “About time!”

Six years of stubbornness. And I never knew what I could have had.

But it doesn’t matter now. In fact, I’m glad I was stubborn.

Because what we have now is something that only time could give us. It's special. It's amazing. It's... more.

I guess being stubborn isn't so bad after all.

 


End file.
